I'm a newbie on this board and I'm an agnostic regarding the existence of Bigfoot etc. I recently went to the Honobia Festival where I had a good time. I spent some time listening to speakers at the conference.There was a man there selling AIBR shirts.I looked at the merchandise he had for sale and I bought the book ABOMINABLE SNOWMEN by Ivan T Sanderson which I've now read.
Sanderson believes there to be 4 different types of ABSM.Does Sanderson have any credibility with AIBR folks? Has anyone else read it?

Hello Bog, welcome to the Forum. It is good to see someone else has read this wonderful book. I believe Sanderson was the first intelligent writer to dispell many of the old-fashioned myths concerning ABSMs (Abominable Snowmen), as he was forced to call them since others had already named them as such before he arrived on the scene. And he seems to have been the first at that time to recognize that these creatures do not dwell on the snowcapped mountain peaks, as popularly believed at that time, but rather below, within the montane forest regions of the world. Of course, 46 years later, we now know that they also dwell far from the montane regions. But at the time, in 1961, his book was daring and gutsy, to say the least. I personally feel that his professional credentials were pretty much beyond reproach. Add to that the fact that the Patterson/Gimlin film of Patty was still five years in the future when his book was first published, after some 25 years of his own painstaking research. He was incredibly insightful because he took the approach of a professionally trained naturalist, an actual globe trotting specimen field collector and a geographer. Too bad he died in 1973. Timing being what it is, the true story of North American ABSMs was barely in its infancy at that time, so he had comparatively little to actually report concerning the North American phenomenon, until the PG film in 1967 really began to stir things up.

As far as the AIBR folks go, I suppose you might want to ask the same question on their forum.
Dudlow

Sorry to bust in here, but I have somehow lost my password, and I can not enter the Forum. I could NOT find a way to reach the Admis by eMail, or at least it is not obvious, as it should be, on BFF pages. So I had to re-register with a new name, and therefore, can not start a new thread.

Isn't there a better way, Admins????

How do I get in, already??

You're right I was reading ancient history.It was still interesting though.

this is a wonderful book about the yeti ie abominable snowman. thanks bill

Sanderson thought 4 different types were responsible for ABSM and bigfoot related reports.
(1)Almas,proto-malayans,yunnan hairy primitives,ksy-giiks etc, which were remnant neanderthals in western Asia and other sub-humans elsewhere
(2)proto-pygmies such as -dwensis,shiru,sedaps,sehites,agogwes,and teh-lmas
(3)Neo-Giants-Dzu-teh,sasquatch,mapinguay,bigfoot
(4)sub-hominids-Mehteh , golub-yavan,and similar absm which were both yeti.He seemed to consider the yeti as non-human
He considered the first 3 types as hominids.He wasn't sure regarding the ABSM

Great reading, and still an important work today! The first use the term "cryptozoology" is found in this book. Here is my well worn hard cover copy that I obtained in 1969 as a high school graduation gift:

This is probably the most learned and developed work on the world-wide phenomenon in the field, even though it is dated (first published in 1961). I read the original hardcover in junior high (mid 1960's) and bought it (my first purchase of an academic book that went beyond fiction or sports). I lent it to a frat brother who lost it and a number of years later bought the abridged version in paperback. The abridged version was good but not complete. I have recently repurchased the original hardcover used and am buying the new unabridged paperback version for portability issues. Suffice it to say that this is the only book I will have three copies of beyond the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This book is a must read for any bigfoot researcher in my mind, simply for the historical background into the Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti mystery. Sanderson was a noted biologist and researcher and really linked many of the scientific elements of the environment into his studies.

The recently released paperback is missing some things. Coleman wrote a short article found here..

http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/xitsabsmx/

I agree, fantastic accomplishment. This man really was a pioneer and lit the fire, so to speak.

Interestingly enough, Sanderson died the day I was born. Found that intriguing.

You're right, Hominid. I did not see that post on Cryptomundo. I saw his other one about the publisher's failure to get authorization or provide compensation to Sanderson's widow, but I missed this post. I'll still be happy to get the paperback even if it is missing some of the original photowork and plates. I can use my original hardback for that. Thanks for putting this info up here and clarifying the differences in versions. This may help others who haven't made up their minds on the purchase.